Las Cruces, NM, USA
N8338S
CESSNA 182H
The flight instructor and student pilot were returning to their home airport in dark night visual meteorological conditions. Radar captured the airplane's progress as it flew toward the airport. The airplane maneuvered north of the airport, descended to about 200 ft above ground level (agl), turned left toward the airport, climbed to about 500 ft agl, and overflew the airport before turning north. Shortly thereafter, the airplane entered a descending right turn and subsequently impacted terrain in a left-wing-low attitude. The airplane was mostly consumed by a postimpact fire. The airplane's altimeter at the accident site indicated an altitude about 3,650 ft higher than the accident site elevation; however, impact and fire damage precluded functional testing of the altimeter and the reason for the discrepancy could not be determined. No other anomalies were detected with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The area north of the airport and in the vicinity of the accident site was unpopulated with no cultural lighting. Due to the lack of ground lighting and the dark night conditions, the pilots would have had few visual references by which to perceive their altitude and proximity to terrain. Although such conditions are conducive to the development of spatial disorientation; the airplane's radar track and impact attitude are consistent with a controlled flight into terrain event rather than a loss of control due to spatial disorientation. The reason for the pilots' maneuvering at low altitude could not be determined based on the available information.
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 12, 2017, about 2015 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182H airplane, N8338S, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain near Las Cruces, New Mexico. The flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Aero Newton Inc. as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which departed Las Cruces International Airport (LRU), Las Cruces, New Mexico, at an undetermined time. Radar data captured the airplane flying over Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, along Highway I-25 toward Las Cruces. Once near the airport, the airplane maneuvered north of LRU and descended to about 200 ft above ground level (agl), turned left toward the airport, and climbed to about 500 ft agl. The airplane then overflew LRU before turning north. Shortly thereafter, the airplane entered a descending right turn over unpopulated terrain and radar contact was lost. The wreckage was discovered on a small mesa by first responders who were dispatched following reports of a fire. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONPersonal logbooks were not located for either pilot, and recency of flight experience could not be determined. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe airplane's maintenance logbook recorded a 100-hour inspection completed on August 8, 2017, at a total airframe time of 2,507.15 hrs and 886.91 hrs since engine overhaul. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONA review of lunar astronomical information revealed that the moon did not rise until after midnight on the night of the accident. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe airplane's maintenance logbook recorded a 100-hour inspection completed on August 8, 2017, at a total airframe time of 2,507.15 hrs and 886.91 hrs since engine overhaul. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe airplane impacted unpopulated, desert terrain about 3 miles from the airport at an elevation of about 4,425 ft mean sea level (msl). The wreckage path was about 275 ft long and was oriented on a 215° magnetic heading. Portions of the left wingtip and damaged desert brush were found in the area leading up to the initial impact point. A shallow divot showed signatures consistent with the airplane skidding several feet along the desert floor after impact. The main wreckage was found about 225 ft from the initial impact point; the wreckage comprised the fuselage, wings, and empennage. A post-impact fire consumed most of the fuselage and inboard sections of the wings. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to the elevator, elevator trim, and rudder. The left aileron drive cable was continuous to the left aileron. The carry-through cable was continuous from the left aileron to the right aileron. The right aileron drive cable was broken near the right forward door post and exhibited features of overload separation. Most of the fuel system was consumed by the postimpact fire; the fuel strainer screen was intact and no contamination was observed. The cockpit instrumentation was largely impact and fire damaged. The airspeed indicator displayed 180 mph (about 158 knots), the tachometer displayed about 2,300 rpm, and the altimeter read 8,075 ft with 30.07 inches displayed in the Kollsman window. Impact and fire damage precluded functional testing of the altimeter. The engine remained partially attached to the fuselage via the control cables. The top spark plugs were removed and appeared worn out-normal (when compared to the Champion Aviation Check-a-Plug Chart). The valve covers were removed and no damage was observed to the valve springs and rocker arms. The lower forward portion of the crankcase sustained impact damage that prevented manually rotating the engine crankshaft to verify continuity and compression. The three-bladed Hartzell propeller was found separated from the engine. The crushed spinner was removed from the hub. The blades were identified as A, B, and C for documentation purposes. Blade A was bent aft near the hub and displayed leading edge damage and diagonal chordwise scoring on the cambered side of the blade. Blade B was twisted and exhibited S-bending, and leading edge gouges with chordwise scratches. Blade C was also twisted and exhibited S-bending and chordwise scratches. The vacuum pump and attitude indicator were removed and examined. Examination of the dry vane carbon components revealed impact damage along with rotational scoring around the circumference of both the carbon components and the vacuum pump case. The gyro of the attitude indicator was also examined. The attitude indicator case had crushed into the gyro and was removed. Rotational scoring was observed on the interior of the gyro casing. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe Office of the Medical Investigator, Albuquerque, New Mexico, conducted autopsies on both pilots. The cause of death for both pilots was blunt force trauma. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Forensic Sciences Laboratory performed toxicology testing on specimens from both pilots with negative results for all tested-for substances.
Controlled flight into terrain in dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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